Midknight Valencia Orange Tree

The Midknight Valencia was first found as a part of a budded collection done by A. P. Knight of Summerville, Aldo in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Unfortunately, the buds used were from an unknown source, but developed Valencia type fruits. In about 1927, it was noticed that a few of the budded selections were seedless and a selection was made in 1930.

The selection was found to be a slower grower than the standard Valencia and did not perform well on the typical Citrus rootstocks used in South Africa. The fruit's seedless quality, early ripening time (earlier than standard Valencia), high juice content, and perfect size kept the Midknight Valencia a top variety of interest until the ideal rootstocks were determined.

By the 1970's, news of the seedless Valencia variety from South Africa had spread. Not as productive as the standard seeded Valencia, commercial growers had chosen to grow it more as a novelty in South Africa. With all the aforementioned qualities, interest began to pick up after 1970.

Budwood arrived from South Africa to the UC Riverside Citrus collection in January of 1985. It was cited on the UC Riverside Citrus Variety Collection site that the budwood was put directly into thermotherapy, a heat treatment used to destroy any potential harmful viruses. Once cleaned up and certified virus free, the trees were found to grow faster and get to be better sized, though still a small tree.

Ripening March to July, similar to the standard Valencia, the Midknight Valencia was slow to take off commercially, but the virtues were quickly recognized by the home garden market. In the early 1980's, seedless varieties were fast becoming preferred by the consumer and as many varieties of seedless citrus were introduced, they quickly became popular with the growers that supplied the home garden market.

In the 1990's, the Four Winds Growers, the nation's largest grower of Citrus for the home garden market, introduces the Midknight Valencia. Since that time, it has grown in popularity within the home garden market as a high-quality, seedless alternative to the traditional Valencia Orange.

In the 1990's, the Four Winds Growers, the nation's largest grower of Citrus for the home garden market, introduces the Midknight Valencia. Since that time, it has grown in popularity within the home garden market as a high-quality, seedless alternative to the traditional Valencia Orange.